WASHINGTON—On the afternoon of April 9, the newly launched “Committee on the Present Danger: China” (CPDC) convened the first of a series of roundtable discussions aimed at raising awareness about the magnitude of the Chinese Communist Party’s multifaceted and intensifying effort to supplant the United States as the world’s dominant power.

This meeting featured, in addition to comments by distinguished members of the CPDC, remarks by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, leading lawmakers and other experts concerned about the PRC’s ominous trajectory.

This conversation took place against the backdrop of ongoing bilateral trade negotiations and rising concern—both in this country and the Western Pacific more generally—about Communist China’s economic warfare, military build-up and ever-more-aggressive behavior. (At its launch event, the Committee released a statement about the need for a holistic approach to the Chinese threat.)